Friday 10 July 2009 17.20 EDT
First published on Friday 10 July 2009 17.20 EDT

Michael Clarke refused to blame the conditions after becoming the first batsman on these shores to lose his wicket in a Test match with the floodlights on, and claimed Australia were in a position from which they can now head to Lord's – traditionally their favourite Ashes venue – with a series lead.

Clarke fell to Stuart Broad for 83 only 13 deliveries before play was abandoned for the day, having earlier emerged for what was supposed to be a 12-over session following a two-hour break for rain. As a result he is still searching for his first Test century in the UK after managing a top-score of 91 during the 2005 series here, but he had no qualms with the decision – reached after agreement between the teams before the series – to turn on the lights.

"I was disappointed with the shot I played, but I have no excuses for my dismissal," he said. "I've just found out it was the first time the lights were used in this country for Tests, so mark me down for the first wicket. We got told we had 12 overs left in the day, so Marcus North and myself saw it as an opportunity to get a few more runs on the board. If the rain stays away I definitely believe we can get a result."

Clarke said that the disappointment of exposing his team-mate Brad Haddin at the end of a day dominated by Australia's batsmen outweighed his failure to reach three figures, but admitted that the ghosts of 2005, when he averaged 37 in a losing cause, were yet to be fully exorcised.

"It's obviously in the back of my mind," he said. "I have very fond memories of '07, which seems to have been forgotten, but that's one thing I'm trying to hold on to. When you play well, it's a great feeling to beat anyone. It's an even better feeling to beat England. But it sits in the back of your mind and the guys who were involved in that series are looking forward to changing the result this time."

Clarke's typically busy innings, compiled in a fifth-wicket stand of 143 with Marcus North, helped demoralise England further after Ricky Ponting and Simon Katich had ground them down in a second-wicket stand of 239, which ended when the left-handed opener fell to James Anderson bowling with the new ball.

"I think England were obviously very tired after spending a lot of time in the field," he said. "It would have hurt them with Ricky and Simon's partnership. After getting Phillip Hughes out they probably wanted to get a bit of a roll on. But the way those two played put us in a wonderful position today for Marcus and me to cash in."

And Clarke said he expected to play a role himself over the last two days of the match with his left-arm spin – occasional, but still good enough to claim six wickets for nine runs once on a helpful pitch in India.

"If we can make another 100-150 runs, I think that wicket on day five is going to continue to spin and the bounce will be a bit more inconsistent. It's going to start to play a few more tricks. If we can get some more runs, Nathan Hauritz and all the part-time spinners, myself included, will play a big role."